Day 150: Masai Mara – Day 2
Our last full safari day in Africa was a bit of a shitshow. Literally – our driver had the runs and had to pull over multiple times to take a dump behind the minivan. We gave the poor guy one of our precious Imodium, which seemed to help.
Unfortunately, animal sightings were not much better. We saw a few herbivores, but no predators. While we took a quick drive into the Mara Triangle, we passed through in about 15min and didn’t see any wildebeest crossing. (From our experience with Joseph in Tanzania, we know it requires A LOT of time and patience to get lucky enough to see a crossing – Edward didn’t seem cutout for an hour-long stake-out. Especially not with his bowel condition…)
We were sad with the idea of ending the trip on such a low note – we have one last game drive tomorrow morning…fingers crossed for a kill!
Refueling the minivan before our game drive – this is the sketchiest gas station we have ever seen! Edward buys 10L of gasoline, which the guy brings out in watercooler bottle, then funnels into the gas tank! Not even going to guess if it is unleaded or not…
Waiting at the park gate again, while Edward pays our entrance fees. Park security stands around with an AK47 hanging on his shoulder, and the Masai women swarm the safari vehicles like zombies in a horror movie
Finally! Through the gate and on the open road! Like the Serengeti on the Tanzania side, the park is so massive, you loose the crowds of other cars quickly
Driving through the Masai Mara
Our rickety safari minivan
A family of giraffes and a lone elephant wandering near the road in the Masai Mara
As a female ostrich struts her stuff, two males get enticed
The male ostriches fight each other over the sexy female!
Making a bathroom stop at the airstrip…then another in the middle of the road! What a shitshow.
Breaking up the game drive with a guided walk along the Mara River. Our guide, Robert, also carries an AK-47 (in case of lion attack?)
The Mara River, in the Masai Mara
Jumping over a hippo trail and watching out for huge crocs during our walk
Our guide, Robert, points out a dead hippo that was attacked by lions a few days ago. While the hippo fought off the lions, it quickly died of its wounds, and became lunch for the croc population. We notice a group of tents on the riverbank directly above the dead hippo and discover it is a campground – imagine the smell those campers must have to sleep through – phew!
A family of hippos in the Mara River
We watch a pair of Egyptian Geese flirt dangerously with a crocodile lying in the water, before heading back from our walk. Igor asks for picture (I think we was hoping Robert would let him pose with the gun)
We cross the river and pull over in front of the gate to the Mara Triangle for lunch. Once again, we tried to reduce the size of our lunch boxes by asking for a vegetarian meal – but the Sopa Lodge had another menu in mind: we got a full Indian lunch (rice, dahl, roti) IN ADDITION TO a sandwich, chips, an apple and yogurt! “It’s too much!” we cried pitifully to Edward. We finished the Indian food (OMG, so yummy), and asked Edward if he could give away the rest. As we passed Masai children on our way back to the lodge, Edward would call them over to the van in Swahili and dole out the food
Driving back through the Masai Mara at the end of our game drive, we pass by area where the Masai and park management have burned the grass to promote new growth – the contrast between the two landscapes is stunning
Haha. You guys are hilarious. Really enjoying reading your blog. Keep it up and stay safe